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i saw the marine version at a local napa autoparts store
Figured I'd bump this thread for all of us sad folk putting the bikes away for the winter
I'm going to have to go buy some stabil and a battery tender this week and put her in the shed.
If you do a google search this seems to have been discussed on just about every motorcycle forum.
SLA batteries will self-discharge even if disconnected. Rate depends on battery type, temperature, etc. AGM and some of the new chemistries have much lower rates of internal discharge.
Concrete will conduct moisture but I understood it was common practice to put down a moisture barrier under a garage anyway. We put an epoxy finish on ours, and don't find any evidence of dampness.
Last edited by Garandman; 12-05-12 at 12:41 PM.
I use Sea Foam 1 oz per gallon. Works great! That ,battery tender, and stands and I`m good all winter. I usually catch a few warmer days too.
"3. Dry gas." Does anyone even buy dry gas anymore? Why would you add ethanol to fuel that already has ethanol in it? And if you have access to E0 fuel, why would you ruin it by adding ethanol?
FIXED
1. Coolant - most street bikes should be ok from factory, but if you've added any water, or if you like to be safe "sweeten" up your coolant to avoid any freezing in the block, water pump, radiator, or overflow. If you add coolant (please don't ask if you can use automotive coolant) - be sure to let the bike run until it comes up to temp before turning it off for the winter. Do this before you change the oil.
2. Fresh oil change - your clutch and motor share the same oil supply - unless your oil change is less than 500 miles old (and even then) you have measurable debris, and you do NOT want it to sit all winter. Put fresh oil in, any fresh oil.
3. Fuel - Carburetors: If you can fill up with non-ethanol fuel and run it through the carbs, then park it and smile. If all you have is E10, then you have two options: A.) drain all fuel from tank and carbs. Hopefully your tank is coated so it won't rust and have faith in your rubber seals. B.) Fill tank with fuel, add fuel stabilizer formulated for ethanol, and run it through carbs. (in case you were wondering; I have been doing A. for years with no leaking seals)
Fuel - Fuel Injection: Same as above but no carbs to fuck with.
4. Battery - Many bikes have serviceable batteries, but serviceable or maintenance free, get a battery tender, or similar device (Wal-Mart sells a budget one for $14.99 that works great) and plug the fucker in and leave it alone as long as it has a float mode. If not then you'll have to play the plug/unplug game every couple of months. On the bike/off the bike... doesn't matter as long as it has the trickle charger. If your kickstand is conducting a charge to the ground and causing your battery to discharge, then you've got other problems and should rethink that rats-nest wiring job you did last winter or put your bike up on craigslist as a winter special.
5. Tires - Over inflate tires 5-10psi over sidewall recommendation (when that cold air hits, this will drop... This is a good Idea even in a heated garage if you plan on leaving the bike on it's wheels all winter) I recommend getting the bike up on stands - if you don’t have bike stands or want to spend the money, you can use 2x4s and automotive jack stands ($19.99 a pair many places). If the bike is off the ground, over inflation is not necessary.
Those are the basics...
Last edited by B440; 12-05-12 at 03:17 PM.
I took that out. Missed it first time around. I never start 'em
Drygas isn't Ethanol. The alcohol in dry gas separates the water out of the mix and binds it so it no longer affects combustion or degrades the fuel mix. Ethanol just helps draw water in to the party, detrimental effects be damned. Because of ethanol, drygas is MORE useful now.
This is what I have used for the last 2-3 seasons. IMO is the best fuel stabilizer on the market also it is E10 friendly.
http://mystarbrite.com/startron/
🇯🇵 2001 Honda CBR 929RR R.I.P
🇯🇵 2009 Honda CRF 250X
🇯🇵 2013 Kawasaki Ninja ZX636R
🇦🇹 2016 KTM 1190 Adventure-S
Good thread.. Just curious, water injection is quite common for high performance engine applications.
-Mark
80 GS850 well sorta....
In those cases, small amounts of water are injected to cool the intake charge, no relation to what we're talking about here. I agree that starting up the bike is not a good idea unless you're going to go for a decent ride. But I also think that moving the parts around now and then to help them from taking a set is a good idea. Especially on the Ducatis or any other bike that uses belts for the cam drive. If your bike lets you operate the starter with the kill switch to off, it's a good idea to just turn the engine over a bit without starting it. Or put it in top gear and push it around a little, which will help with not flatspotting the tires, and so on.
PhilB
"A free man must be able to endure it when his fellow men act and live otherwise than he considers proper." -- Ludwig von Mises
1993 Ducati Monster M900; 265,000 miles -- killed by minivan 30Oct17
exactly, dry gas is either methanol or isopropyl
I recommend staying away from the cheaper methanol type dry gas, its corrosive like ethanol and another advantage of isopropyl is that it will thaw already frozen lines and prevent frozen lines while methanol will only prevent them from freezing
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RandyO
IBA#9560
A man with a gun is a citizen
A man without a gun is a subject LETS GO BRANDON
BTW there's an article in this month's MCN on how to remove the Ethanol from fuel.
lol thanks RandyO. I stand by my statement Kurlon, though I may have worded it wrong. Ethanol (made from corn), methanol (made from wood) and isopropyl (made from fairies) are all forms of alcohol and using drygas in E10 fuel does two things; Jack and shit... and Jack left town. The ethanol in E10 fuel already does what drygas is supposed to do; absorb the water.
Because of ethanol, drygas is MORE useless now.
B440, there is a difference to attracting water and leaving it in a state where it can cause problems, and binding what's there so it can no longer negatively impact things. Ethanol does one, methanol and isopropyl do the other. BIIIIIIIG difference.
Still think there is no difference? Drink up some Methanol and then see what they prescribe you as a cure.![]()
Last edited by Kurlon; 12-05-12 at 05:47 PM.
They would pump your stomach and possibly kidney dialysis if it's in the bloodstream. Ethanol will bind the water too.
If you left methanol or isopropyl in your tank, they would also attract water just like ethanol.... so I guess I don't really understand your point? But I win this internet arguement because I posted the bunny
Treatment for methanol poisoning is ethanol. That's the point I was trying to get to is just because they have '-nol' for a suffix does not mean the behave the same. If ethanol actually bound up the water it attracted we wouldn't be having any of these discussions.
Well ya got me on the frozen lines. Use drygas for that. But if I'm storing my bike for the winter, frozen fuel lines aren't going to matter much.
Ethanol, Methanol and Isopropyl are all hydroscopic but to a different degree. Ethanol, primary alcohol only had one carbon, it is the most hydroscopic and hardest to mix with polyscopic hydrocarbons, Methanol, secondary alcohol has 2 carbons, and Isopropyl, tertiary alcohol has 3 carbons it is barely hydroscopic and mixes with polyscopic hydrocarbons the best, with Ethanol mixes with water better than it does with the gas while Isopropyl & Methanol mix better with fuel than they do with water
RandyO
IBA#9560
A man with a gun is a citizen
A man without a gun is a subject LETS GO BRANDON